Cape lion
Extinct lion population in South Africa / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Cape lion was a distinctive population of lions in South Africa's Natal and Cape Provinces that was extirpated in the mid-19th century.[1][2] The type specimen originated at the Cape of Good Hope and was described in 1842.[3]
Extinct lion population in South Africa
Cape lion | |
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Male at Jardin des plantes, Paris circa 1860 | |
Scientific classification![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Suborder: | Feliformia |
Family: | Felidae |
Subfamily: | Pantherinae |
Genus: | Panthera |
Species: | P. leo |
Subspecies: | P. l. melanochaita |
Population: | †Cape lion |
Traditionally, the Cape lion was considered a distinct subspecies of lion, Panthera leo melanochaita.[4][5] However, phylogeographic analysis has shown that lion populations in Southern and East Africa are closely related.[6][7] In 2017, the subspecies Panthera leo melanochaita was recircumscribed to include all lion populations in Southern and East Africa.[8]